City to host memorial service for Green Beret killed in Niger

Staff sergeant Bryan Black, 35, was killed in Niger on Oct. 4. Black was from Puyallup and was assigned to 3rd Special Force Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Department of DefenseCourtesy

Staff sergeant Bryan Black, 35, was killed in Niger on Oct. 4. Black was from Puyallup and was assigned to 3rd Special Force Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Department of DefenseCourtesy

The city of Puyallup will host a public memorial service on Sunday (Nov. 19) to honor Army Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, who died in an ambush in Niger last month.

Black, 35, grew up in Puyallup and was a Puyallup High School graduate. Black’s father, Hank, is a Puyallup resident and described his son as loving and loyal to his family and friends.

“Whenever I visited or talked to him on the phone, he always ended with ‘I love you, Dad,’” Hank said.

Whenever I visited or talked to him on the phone, he always ended with ‘I love you, Dad.’

Hank Black, Bryan’s father

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Bryan had a wife, Michelle, and two children: Ezekiel, 11 and Isaac, 9. As detailed in a News Tribune story published last month, Bryan’s mother, Karen, said Bryan excelled in wrestling and chess growing up. Bryan earned both his high school diploma and associate’s degree from Pierce College at the same time.

Black enlisted in the Army in 2009 and was awarded the Army’s Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal during his service.

“The main thing is to know, along with his three other teammates that were killed, all of them were willing to lay down their lives for others,” Hank said. “...We have no doubt that when the ambush started, his first thoughts were, ‘What do I need to do to ensure I protect those who’re with me?’”

The main thing is to know, along with his three other teammates that were killed, all of them were willing to lay down their lives for others...We have no doubt that when the ambush started, his first thoughts were, ‘What do I need to do to ensure I protect those who’re with me?’